Fox, Dragon and Elf (Part 3)
Initially, Ling Yue didnât think it was necessary to mind the unnamed woman, but she began to pay more and more attention to her. She never met Sylvanas before. Nonetheless, perhaps what was more important was that she found Sylvanas to be strange, particularly when they all sat at the table for dinner, as her behaviour made her appear very suspicious.
From Sylvanaâs perspective, being able to sit at the table and eat was a very new experience. In the past, she did eat together with others, but they just dug in and chowed down their food. Sitting down at a table and eating using forks and knives piqued Sylvanaâs curiosity, but also rendered her nervous.
Sylvanas didnât dare to say a word. Instead, she closely observed the mannerisms of those around her. To be frank, she didnât quite trust Vyvyan. She couldnât shake off the feeling that Vyvyan would try and embarrass her sooner or later, so she watched Ling Yue. As a fox, Ling Yue was only a small animal despite being a carnivore. Therefore, she was very sensitive to her surroundings. She immediately noticed the gaze on her. The gaze made her feel as though a violent beast was watching her. Her instincts as a beast encouraged her to flee immediately, but she was the master of her home. How can the master be the first to flee? Hence, she had to eat her meal under the watch of that intense gaze.
Dinner was very sumptuous. The kitchen probably brought forth their best to prepare many delicacies for their guests. However, it tasted dry as sawdust to Ling Yue, because she just wanted to hurry and escape the gaze that frightened her.
Sylvanas imitated Ling Yue. She picked up her fork and knife. She looked at the plate in front of her and picked up a piece of stuffed rabbit. The dish was an upgraded version of food in the North. They stuffed a boneless piece of rabbit meat with cream, a variety of nuts and heated it up. That way, the rabbit meat would have the sweetness of the cream, eliminating the oily texture. Additionally, the cream that spilt out was extremely tasty. Children loved the sweet taste of nuts and fruit in it. It, therefore, swiftly garnered popularity in the North and became one of the favourite dishes of nobles.
Ling Yue didnât just rip it apart with her teeth. She first cut a small hole to search for the fruit and nuts she liked inside the cream. Then, she had the cream inside before finally savouring the rabbit meat. Sylvanas imitated her. She first cut open a small hole then looked at the gently swishing cream inside and spaced out. She wouldâve been happier if it was a big chunk of meat. However, seeing how everybody around her enjoyed it, she patiently dug around with her fork.
Fruits and nuts were a rare sight for Sylvanas, so she warily dug around inside. She pulled out her fork with something on it. However, the cream slid off. A mocking laugh came from her side. Sylvanas lingered for a moment, and then lifted her fork again, only to stab nothing again.
âAm I not putting enough strength into it?â wondered Sylvanas.
Sylvanas stabbed down hard again. Everyone heard the crisp sound of porcelain breaking, startling Ling Yue, as she thought Sylvanas finally struck. Ling Yue wore a stupefied look. Sylvanas also looked at her plate and piece of meat confused. Her fork slowly rocked. She put too much force into it. As a consequence, she stabbed through the meat, porcelain plate and then into the table.
Instead saying Ling Yue was surprised, itâd be more accurate to say she was frightenedâŠ
âThis wild beast has got to be too strong⊠Just where did this formidable woman come fromâŠ?â Ling Yue silently questioned.
âMy mistake, my mistakeâŠâ remarked Sylvanas
Noticing everybody around looking at her, Sylvanas grabbed her fork again in a flustered manner. She pulled it out from the table, lifting up the entire table. Subsequently, everybodyâs plates bounced, and the piping hot cream almost spilt out.
The entire table fell into an awkward silence. Vyvyan wore a smile, showing she enjoyed Sylvanaâs misery but didnât say anything. Ling Yue was the first to react. She looked at the flustered dragon, and then gently cleared her throat before calling a maid over. She had the maid grab a new set of utensils for Sylvanas, and had the maid help Sylvanas separate the meat. She put the meat on the plate, a small bowl for the cream and another small bowl for fruits and nuts.
Sylvanas gave Ling Yue a grateful look then looked at the meat in front of her. She was about to grab it with her hand, but then she remembered that she had to cut it with the fork and knife in front of her in this situation. So, she picked up her fork and knife again. This time, she was very careful with her strength to prevent slicing the plate. She cut the meat into two large pieces then stabbed into one piece. She looked left and right with a boisterous look. The small silver fork that had to bear with a life seemingly verged on the edge of snapping. Ling Yue was totally bewildered. She was very curious as to how Sylvanas was going to eat the large piece of meat that was half the size of a personâs face. Bear in mind that Sylvanas was in her human form.
Ling Yue couldnât figure out the dragonâs race from her appearance, but she was absolutely certain Sylvanas wasnât pure human or elf.
âCould she be an anthropoid in the North? I only learnt her name from our self-introductions. I know nothing else about her,â Ling Yue thought.
Sylvanas opened her mouth and went to put the meat into her mouth. Ling Yue watched her feeling surprised. She was eager to try and figure out her race from the moment Sylvanas ate.
âJudging from that way of eating⊠is she a snake?â pondered Ling Yue
But nonetheless, nothing actually happened. Vyvyan was on the verge of bursting from the laughter she was holding in. Sylvanas completely stuffed her mouth. She couldnât fit the entire piece of meat into her mouth. Perplexed, she pulled the piece of meat out and touched her cheeks. Her small human mouth and cheeks made it impossible to shove the piece of meat into her mouth as she did in the past. Sylvanas had never eaten in her human form before. She never expected living in her human form would be such a pain. Previously, she could eat the piece of meat in one go.
Sylvanas looked at the piece of meat with frustration. She was about to vent, but she noticed Vyvyanâs serious expression next to her, so she gulped a few times before picking her knife and fork up again.
Ling Yue was left more puzzled than ever. If Sylvanas was an anthropoid, she wouldnât have been unfamiliar with her human body parts. Anthropoids spent more time in their human form than their beast form. Ling Yue concluded Sylvanas wasnât an anthropoid and couldnât possibly be a human or elf. The previously active trolls wouldnât be as beautiful as her. The archaic style of speech she spoke with told Ling Yue that she had be the descendant of an ancient race; however, there were very few ancient races in the North, and Ling Yue was certain that Sylvanas wasnât from one of them.
Since Sylvanas was unfamiliar with her human body, it took her a particularly long time to eat her meal. Despite having finished their meals. The others didnât leave or have their plates taken away; instead, they quietly waited for her to finish.
Forks and knives were foreign to Sylvanas. Although it wasnât a problem for her to cut a simple steak, she was hopeless when beans were involved. Furthermore, she held fruit and vegetables in contempt. She only had eyes for the meat and stuff made from cream.
Ling Yue felt Sylvanas was more of a beast than she was. It appeared as though Sylvas just acquired her human form, thus had yet to adapt to it. Ling Yue thought about the possibility of people around her husband transforming into a human⊠She took in a breath and watched Sylvanas watched her put a big piece of meat into her mouth and chew on it until the cream almost ran down. She shook her head in responseâŠ
Ling Yue surmised, âThatâs impossible. Thatâs impossible. Not even the White Deer King would eat meat if it transformed into a human, right..? Somebody who has just obtained a human body will surely eat what theyâre familiar with first. If sheâs the White Deer King, sheâd be vegetarian. She wouldnât be eating meat as she is. Sheâs definitely a carnivorous wild beast.â
Sylvanas finally placed her fork and knife down with satisfaction. The maids from the side served up a fruit juice in a small basin. It was the water used for washing oneâs hands after dinner. Ling Yue elegantly soaked her hand in the water and cleaned her fingers, only to then hear a maid opposite her shriek.
Ling Yue quickly looked over in the direction of the maid who shrieked. What she shouldâve seen was the maid holding the small basin, but instead, the maid was holding Sylvanaâs hands. Sylvanaâs took the small basin and knocked back the water in it. The maid watched the woman with a dumbfounded look. She didnât dare to snatch it back or say anything; hence, she could only look at Ling Yue with despair. She stuttered, âI⊠I⊠No⊠Th-This Madam, sheâŠâ
Ling Yue supported her face with her hand and sighed. Sylvanas, satisfied, placed the small basin down. Sylvanas thought water was served up at the perfect moment. She always drank a lot of water after eating meat, for it was a means of helping her digest it. The water she had that day had a tinge of sweetness to it. Thus, she thought, âThis is the life of nobility, no doubt.â
Ling Yue didnât comment. Instead, she stood up. She didnât plan to leave as soon as dinner was over. Sylvanas was confused, for she didnât know where to go. Vyvyan got up and pulled Sylvanas along off to somewhere. Ling Yue walked to the break room and sat down in the armchair. She closed her eyes a little and relaxed into it. Ying then came over and asked, âAre you somewhat angry, Ling Yue?â
Ling Yue smiled out of puzzlement, and then replied, âWhy would I be angry? Iâm not angry. Sheâs just a little odd. With that said, that doesnât anger me. I wonât get angry, but I really want to know her story. I donât even have a guess as to what her true identity is.â
Ying wasnât sure if she should inform Ying, since it was what His Majesty personally went through, after all. She hesitated. Ling Yue stated, âTell me what you know. His Majesty wonât punish you for this. He wonât.â